'I can't breathe:' Transcript of audio recording from Jamal Khashoggi's murder reportedly describes him gasping for air in his last moments

Jamal Khashoggi on a poster during an October 8 protest organized by members of the Turkish-Arabic Media Association at the entrance to Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul.

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Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Transcript of an audio recording from Jamal Khashoggi's
brutal death reportedly describes him gasping for air in his
final moments.

A source, who was briefed on the investigation and read
a translated transcript of the recording from the October 2
killing,
told CNN that the audio suggested a carefully planned
execution and not a
botched interrogation as previously touted by the
Saudis.

The transcript also describes "sawing" and "cutting"
that could be heard along with screaming.

Men in the room were reportedly told to "put earphones
in" or "listen to music" to block out the gruesome
noises.

The transcript of an audio recording from Jamal Khashoggi's
brutal killing reportedly describes the Saudi journalist gasping
for air in his final moments.

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A source, who was briefed on the investigation and read a
translated transcript of the recording from the October 2
killing,
told CNN that the audio suggested a carefully planned
execution and not a
botched interrogation as previously touted by the Saudis.

Descriptions of the tape recounting how Khashoggi suffocated have
previously been reported. But CNN's report on Sunday is the
fullest account of the transcript in Western media to date.

According to the source, the transcript began with Khashoggi
entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul at about 1:15 p.m. to
pick up routine paperwork for his coming marriage to his fiancée,
Hatice Cengiz, who was waiting outside for him.

Other men, including a voice identified by Turkish authorities as
Dr. Salah Muhammad al-Tubaiqi, the head of forensic medicine at
Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry, could be heard along with
Khashoggi's muffled pleas, the source said. The transcript then
described "sawing" and "cutting" sounds.

Al-Tubaiqi could reportedly be heard telling the team in the room
to block out the noise.

"Put your earphones in or listen to music like me," he said,
reportedly according to the transcript.

Notably, the transcript describes at least three phone calls
placed by Mutreb to someone who,
according to previous assessments of the recording, is widely
thought to be a senior Saudi official, possibly Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman's closest adviser, Saud al-Qahtani, or
possibly even the crown prince. Mutreb reportedly gave the
undisclosed person on the other end of the line step-by-step
details of what transpired: "Tell yours, the thing is done, it's
done."

Links to the crown prince

caption

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

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(Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Calls for sanctions have grown louder in recent weeks, as details
from the investigation into Khashoggi's killing continue to close
in on the Saudi leadership.

Last week, senators from across party lines announced with a
"high
level of confidence" that Crown Prince Mohammed was
"complicit" in Khashoggi's killing and introduced a measure
calling for the crown prince to be "held accountable" for
numerous human-rights abuses.

The move, led by Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Lindsey
Graham of South Carolina, and Todd Young of Indiana and
Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California, Ed Markey of
Massachusetts, and Chris Coons of Delaware, pins the blame
directly onto the crown prince and hopes to spur the government
and the international community to punish him accordingly.

"There is no doubt that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman knew
about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, condoned
it, and at worst was actually involved in directing it," Rubio
said in a statement Wednesday.

But the resolution is set to face hurdles by the Trump
administration, as the president has recently doubled down on his
defense of the Saudi crown prince and said the US-Saudi
relationship is "paramount" in his decision making.